Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to foods for microwave oven cooking, which are suitable for imparting a crisp texture and a freshly pan-fried flavor and aroma to a heat-treated surface of a noodle-strip food, such as a gyoza dumpling.
Discussion of the Background
In noodle-strip foods, such as a gyoza dumpling, a savory freshly pan-fried flavor and aroma immediately after cooking and a freshly-baked crisp texture of a heat-treated surface are important factors in determining the commercial value. The foods are generally manufactured on the assumption of storage after the manufacture for about one week as a chilled product, and for two to three months as a frozen product.
However, in a noodle-strip food, including a noodle-strip portion with a small water content and a filling portion with a large water content, in particular, in a baked gyoza dumpling and the like, water transfers from the filling to the baked dough, and it is difficult to reproduce the crisp texture by microwave oven cooking. In addition, since the freshly pan-fried flavor and aroma is scattered during the storage, it has been very difficult to maintain the freshly pan-fried flavor and aroma throughout the distribution and storage. For solving the problems, various attempts have been made in the past.
For example, there is method to keep a preferable texture peculiar to the baked gyoza dumpling by applying before storage an edible oil on a surface of a gyoza dumpling containing a single- or multi-layer dough previously subjected to a baking-cooking (see, for example, JP-A-10-271978, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). In this method however, although water transfer from the surface of the gyoza dumpling is prevented by the edible oil applied, there has been a problem in that the water transfer from the filling cannot be fully prevented, and that the texture is deteriorated when the food is cooked with a microwave oven.
As a method for providing a baked gyoza dumpling which can be readily cooked in a large number, and which gives a uniform browned color of the baked surface, a freshly-baked-like texture, and a savory flavor after cooking, a method for manufacturing a gyoza dumpling in which an emulsion of water, an oil or fat, and an emulsifier, containing a grain flour and/or a protein is applied on a bottom surface of a gyoza dumpling, followed by baking the gyoza dumpling, whereby the texture, appearance, and flavor are improved has been proposed (see, for example, JP-A-06-245740, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). In this method however, although both the texture and the flavor are good immediately after baking, there has been a problem in that, when the gyoza dumpling is cooked with a microwave oven after freezer storage, the texture is worsened due to water transfer from the filling, and the freshly pan-fried flavor and aroma is also deteriorated.
Furthermore, a method for browning a food and imparting a crisp texture to the food even in microwave oven cooking by using a microwave-absorbing heat generator has also been studied.
For example, JP-A-2006-055026, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, discloses a method for allowing a food to exhibit a crisp texture and a freshly pan-fried flavor and aroma by a batter or the like being heated or baked, the method comprising putting the batter or the like between a microwave-absorbing heat generator which generates heat with microwave energy and a noodle-strip food. In this method however, it has been required to use a microwave-absorbing heat generator sheet whose end portions are upwardly bent so that the batter or the like does not flow out of the microwave-absorbing heat generator sheet during heating.
There is known a method for manufacturing a crisp baked gyoza dumpling by applying a powder for baked gyoza dumpling including xylose and Joshinko (a rice flour) on a bottom surface of a gyoza dumpling, followed by baking the gyoza dumpling (see JP-A-2010-4797, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety). However, this method is a little cumbersome because the powder has to be applied on the bottom surface of the gyoza dumpling before cooking upon heat-cooking in a house or the like, and a simpler method has been demanded.
Thus, there remains a need for foods for microwave oven cooking, which are suitable for imparting a crisp texture and a freshly pan-fried flavor and aroma to a heat-treated surface of a noodle-strip food, such as a gyoza dumpling.